Handle with concave/convex profile

ABSTRACT

A handle for or of a hand held device which has on a side thereof a concave convex profile to accommodate the pad and base (or heel) of the thumb, opposite which side the handle is sufficiently bulbous to provide a surface against which all of the first three fingers of the user engage. This anthropometric handle provides the user or holder thereof with improved feel and purchase.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to hand held devices, and specifically relates tohandles for such devices, and devices including such devices,

2. Present State of the Art

It is known to provide handles of tooth brushes with a certain degree ofshaping to enable them to be comfortably and firmly held, but generallysuch candles are elongated rods, and do not provide the comfort and gripwhich might be expected, because when the fingers are wrapped round therod handle, there is only limited contact between the rod and thefingers, and control and comfort are compromised.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide a handle of or for hand helddevices, including toothbrushes, which is configured to provide enhancedcomfort and firmness to the user.

According to the invention there is provided a handle for or of a handheld device, wherein the handle has on a side thereof a concave convexprofile to accommodate the pad and base (or heel) of the thumb, oppositewhich side the handle is sufficiently bulbous to provide a surfaceagainst which all of the first three fingers of the user engage.

The handle is preferably moulded in plastics material, and can be usedfor or as part of any of a large variety of hand held devices, includingtooth and other brushes, working tools such as screwdrivers, chisels,ratchet tools, and hand held articles in general.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of examplewith reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein;

FIG. 1 is a side view of the handle of the present invention;

FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are sectional views taken along the lines A—A, B—B,C—C and D—D, respectively;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the handle of FIG. 1 when positioned ina hand, but before the fingers have moved to the holding position; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, but showing the fingers claspedaround the handle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings, the handle is shown in FIG. 1, and isindicated by the numeral 10. It is a solid body formed typically ofplastics by moulding and, it has a varying cross sectional shape asshown in FIGS. 2 to 5. Proceeding from the left hand end in FIG. 1 andreferring to FIGS. 2 to 5 from a nose 12, the body has a circular crosssection at sections A—A and B—B, and until the region 14 where at thetop side of the handle, the profile enters a concave region 16. SectionsC—C and D—D show how this concave profile affects the shape of thehandle.

The top side of the handle 10 has a concave (region 16) convex (region20) profile at the top side thereof, and the remainder of the handle isbulbous, in this example of circular cross section. This concave convexprofile matches the inner profile of the thumb and therefore this sideof the handle is an anthropometric match for the thumb. Thus as shown inFIG. 6, the handle seats in a comfortable and firm fashion against thethumb when the handle is positioned in the user's hand.

FIG. 6 shows the handle positioned before the fingers are clasped aroundit, and FIG. 7 shows the handle when fully grasped. It can be seen fromFIG. 7 that the handle is sufficiently bulbous that all of the firstthree fingers grasp the handle, enhancing the grip and comfort of thehandle.

The handle is symmetric about a longitudinal axis and therefore can beused equally in the right or left hand.

What is claimed is:
 1. A handle for a hand held device and which isadapted for improved feel and purchase when held in the palm of a handand between a thumb and fingers, the handle comprising: a top sidehaving a portion thereof which is formed into a combination concaveconvex profile in which, a first portion of the top side of the handlecomprises a convex region which is bulbous and slopes from the centerportion of the convex region in a tapered fashion toward the rear end ofthe handle, the convex portion also sloping and tapering down toward thefront end of the handle so as to converge into a concave, indentedregion on said top side which is thereby formed to receive the innerprofile of the thumb in a manner which constitutes an anthropometricmatch for the inner profile of the thumb, and a bottom side which iscontinuously convex and which slopes and tapers upwardly toward the rearof the hand from the center portion of the convex region to terminate ina bulbous end portion which fits within the palm of the hand and issufficiently bulbous to provide a surface against which the first threefingers of the user may engage.
 2. A handle according to claim 1 whereinthe handle is molded in plastics material.
 3. A handle as recited inclaim 1, wherein said bulbous end portion has a transverse cross sectionthat is substantially circular at a plurality of longitudinally spacedapart locations.
 4. A handle as recited in claim 1, wherein at least asection of a forwardly extending portion of the handle has a transversecross section that is substantially elliptical.
 5. A handle as recitedin claim 4, wherein at least part of the top side of said forwardlyextending portion is substantially flat along the length thereof.